


Wherever You Will Go

by AKAbFlare, clarixeon



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, Gen, Harpy!Isuka, Kotatsu is a bby I wuv him, Mercenary!Ace, Novel A trio too, There just needs to be more Esuka fics out there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28338174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKAbFlare/pseuds/AKAbFlare, https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarixeon/pseuds/clarixeon
Summary: Since he did not get paid in his last quest, all Ace wanted to do is to reach home quickly. He took a shortcut through the enchanted forest but unfortunately, he got lost. Good thing he had his loyal giant pet lynx with him.They weren't alone in the forest though, as its winged guardian is also out there who was unaware that a broke mercenary and his animal sidekick entered her home.
Relationships: Isuka & Portgas D. Ace, Isuka/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Wherever You Will Go

  


Ace found himself in an awkward situation. On one hand, he was happy he helped a little village against the terrorizing mountain bandits and he even freed the men they captured. On the other, he did accept this quest expecting to receive a high reward as promised in the poster. 

  


But what was he supposed to do? Turn his back on these people who needed his help the moment he reached their village and learned that they are too poor to actually pay him the promised amount? No way. He traveled this far already anyway. Might as well do what he was meant to do, getting paid or not.

  


The villagers bowed their heads profusely, both as thanks for saving their village and an apology for tricking him. Ace is not used to receiving this excessive amount of gratitude or apology but he gets why they are doing this. It was all they can give to him after all.

  


"Nah, it's alright! No need to bow to me like that," he light-heartedly told the villagers.

  


"Young man, you have no idea how much we owe you. You have a big heart. You are the only one who helped us despite knowing our village's circumstances. All the other mercenaries left as soon as they saw the state of our village," one of the elders said.

  


"Well...I just did what a decent human being would do, really," Ace replied, a little embarrassed at how highly the elder talked about him.

  


"Please take this food with you. It's not a lot to feed you and your pet lynx full, but I hope it will still quell a little bit of your hunger," a mother said as she hands Ace a lunchbox.

  


"Are you sure? Isn't your village short on food as well?" Ace asked, not wanting to take anything from the villagers.

  


"Don't worry about us. Thanks to you, our village men have returned. They will hunt and forage for us," the mother assured Ace.

  


"Well then. Thank you! Kotatsu and I will thoroughly enjoy your delicious cooking," Ace said, bowing to the woman as he received the lunchbox.

  


"Oh my. You are very polite."

  


"Not at all." Ace put the lunchbox in his backpack. "It's time for me and Kotatsu to go," he said as he pets his giant pet lynx's head who accompanies him on his quests and also serves as his ride.

  


Ace mounted Kotatsu as the villagers thanked him one last time and wished him safety on his journey. Before leaving though, Ace asked them a question.

  


"Uh hey, do guys know how to reach the Goa Kingdom quickly? It took us 5 days to reach here. I'm almost out of money so I want to return to my village as soon as possible."

  


The look of guilt that returned to the villagers' faces made Ace realize what his statement sounded like.

  


"I—I mean, I'm not really out of money! I just miss my brothers a lot so I want to go home soon!" he stammered.

  


The village elders gave each other a knowing look and nodded. One of them left and went inside a house. Ace had no idea what that was about. His question was answered by one of the village men.

  


"You can go through the enchanted forest. That will save you around 2 days worth of travel."

  


"Enchanted forest? You mean that huge forest we had to go around to reach this village? Isn't entering that forest forbidden?"

  


"Yes, that's the one, and no, it's not exactly prohibited to go through that forest. It's just not advisable since we heard rumors that a giant bird is guarding it. Some hunters even claim that it is a harpy."

  


"A harpy?"

  


"Yes. A human-bird hybrid of sorts. But no one has seen a harpy for centuries. Probably fear made those hunters delusional."

  


"I see. Whatever's guarding that forest won't be a problem. I just need to pass through it to reach home faster, right?"

  


"Yes. Be careful not to get lost in the forest though. It might save you 2 days but it might also take you a week or more to get out of it if you got lost."

  


"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!"

  


Ace and Kotatsu were about to leave when the village elder who left called out to him.

  


"Young man, wait!"

  


The two turned around and saw the older woman holding out a dress to Ace.

  


"Please take this with you. It's a dress we have carefully and lovingly sewn. We plan to make this the village heirloom but we will give it to you."

  


Ace tried to find the right words to say. A dress? Although it warms his heart that they still try to give him something to make up for the "free" service, he has no use for a dress.

  


"I really appreciate the thought, but I don't wear dresses or have anyone to give that to," he finally said.

  


"It's alright if you sell it in another village. We are sure it will give you quite a sum of money as it is made of the finest materials."

  


"But you plan to make it an heirloom. I can't accept that."

  


"Please, young man, we insist. We won't be able to sleep at night knowing you and your pet lynx are traveling on an empty stomach. And we know you had plans for the reward we promised. What if it was for a sick family member? Guilt will never leave us."

  


Well, she was not wrong. Ace did have plans for that money, but not for that reason. He has debts to pay to Deuce, his doctor friend whom he borrows money from whenever he's broke. He also needs to pay for the rent and bills of his and his brothers' apartment. Sabo shoulders most of the expenses lately and Ace doesn't feel good about that. He also wants to buy gifts for his brothers. It's been a while since he gave Luffy something he likes, although he's pretty sure just buying him meat will be enough to make Luffy extremely happy. Kotatsu's saddle also needs to be changed and his own tools and weapons need an upgrade. Well, all of those will just remain plans now that he's going home broker than when he left.

  


Ace reached out and accepted the dress the elderly woman was giving him.

  


"Thank you very much. I'll make sure to find the best buyer for this dress then," he smiled at the woman.

  


Ace left the village still broke as before but satisfied nonetheless. He decided to take the short route back to his village — through the enchanted forest.

  


—♠—♠—♠—

  


"Well, isn't this just great? We were warned not to get lost in the enchanted forest and what are we now, Kotatsu? Fucking lost in the goddamn forest!"

  


Kotatsu gave Ace an ashamed response.

  


Ace sighed and patted Kotatsu's head. "I'm sorry, Kotatsu. I'm not blaming you. If anything, this is my fault. I'm just frustrated that we're still in this forest. We're both tired and hungry from the day-long trip."

  


Ace wasn't even sure if they were really lost. He thought with Kotatsu's speed, they would only need less than a day to get through this forest. But that would probably only be possible if they traveled a straight path. He was naïve for not considering the boulders and giant trees that blocked the way. They had to make many turns, they got confused about which direction they originally were heading to.

  


"I thought animals have a better sense of direction. I guess you've been a housecat for too long, Kotatsu," Ace teasingly told his lynx.

  


"Mrooooww," replied the already tired giant cat, taking a bit of offense in Ace's remark.

  


"I was just kidding!" Ace laughed. "You really did well today. It's getting dark. Let's find a safe place to spend the night."

  


Ace and Kotatsu found a clear area near a river. He unmounted the saddle on Kotatsu's back to make his companion comfortable. Ace collected sticks and stones scattered on the forest floor and started a campfire. He and Kotatsu sat near it to warm themselves, grateful that they managed to make a fire before the sunset and the cold night came. 

  


The two of them had been traveling the whole day without eating anything. Both are starving and the only food they have was the lunchbox given to them earlier.

  


"Sorry, bud. We gotta share this. Tomorrow, let's hunt for food to get our stomachs full."

  


They ate the little food they have and called it a night.

  


—♠—♠—♠—

  


Ace woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Kotatsu was snuggled next to him, still fast asleep. The sun was already high in the sky, which means it was quite late in the morning already. He didn't expect they would be able to sleep that comfortably inside this forest.

  


He went to the river nearby to wash his face. His stomach grumbled.

  


"We need to get out of this forest as soon as possible, but first, we need to look for food," Ace thought to himself. "This is a forest. There's plenty of animals to hunt—"

  


His thought was interrupted by a sound, but not just any sound. Was it a song? Ace wiped his face on his sleeve and listened intently. It was definitely a song, but it was wordless. Just like humming but more vocalized.

  


Ace woke Kotatsu up and told him they would follow that voice. The still groggy feline got up and let Ace mount the saddle on his back.

  


"Someone probably got lost in this forest like us or maybe they live here! We can ask them how to get out," Ace excitedly told Kotatsu.

  


"Mroww," came the feline's response, sounding a little whiny, as his stomach grumbled.

  


"Yeah, I know what I said last night. Don't worry, we'll look for food before leaving," Ace assured his loyal companion.

  


The two left their camp and went to where the song was coming from. They kept walking and reached quite an overgrown area in the forest. Ace and Kotatsu parted and walked through the plants and bushes, determined to find the source of the voice.

  


Soon, they parted the last row of plants which revealed a clear area near a lake. The size of the lake is enormous, it put the idea of getting lost in this forest into perspective. How big is this forest? How long will it take to get out of it?

  


Those questions were not in Ace's mind at all though, as his thoughts were occupied by what he was witnessing. He found the source of the voice, and it was definitely not what he was expecting at all.

  


—♠—♠—♠—

  


Still hidden behind a bush, Ace and Kotatsu watch as the owner of the voice sings her heart out.

  


It was a harpy with the most vibrant red wings Ace had ever seen, sitting on top of a huge boulder on the lakeside. Her eyes were shut, unaware that a stranger and his pet lynx were watching her pour her emotions into her song.

  


Even Kotatsu was in awe of how beautiful her voice is, the feline does not make a fuss at all. The longing and sadness in her voice reminded Ace of the same distant feelings he had before. If it wasn't for his brothers, his family, his friends...maybe he would still feel as lost and hopeless as this harpy seems to be.

  


Ace stared at the harpy's face. Her expression as she sang was so vulnerable and intimate, he felt a little shame watching her sing without her consent. He saw a tear run down her face which made his heartache a little.

  


As the harpy finished her song, birds—crossbills in particular—flew around her with flowers in their beaks, as if trying to console her by giving her gifts. She smiled and giggled as she accepted their presents. Even the sound of her laughter is like music in Ace's ears.

  


Ace hesitated coming out of hiding which made Kotatsu give him a puzzled look. Normally, he would just stroll out there and strike a conversation. But he just witnessed something so private. Ace might be tactless, but there are also times when he can read sensitive situations. This was one of those.

  


Ace looked at Kotatsu as if asking the lynx if he should go out there and talk to the harpy. The giant cat just nodded in the harpy's direction. Ace sighed. They need her help to get out of this forest anyway.

  


As he was about to step out from behind the bush, a gunshot was heard from a distance. That startled both Ace and the harpy. The birds surrounding her flew away in panic. She quickly spread her wings and flew towards where the gunshot came from.

  


Ace was pretty sure that the gunshot was from a hunter's rifle. He calmed down Kotatsu who had been cowering in fear. The poor lynx had a bad history with hunters and poachers and was only able to live in peace and security when he was rescued and taken in by Ace.

  


"It's alright Kotatsu. No one will hurt you as long as I'm here," Ace soothed the big feline as he stroked the cat's fur. "Come on. You're worried about her, too, right? Let's follow her."

  


"Mroww!" Kotatsu gave Ace a determined answer.

  


Strength has returned to the lynx. Ace smiled and patted his companion's head.

  


"Good boy!"

  


Kotatsu let Ace ride on his back and they ran in the direction the harpy went. They didn't expect her to fly so fast, they had no idea which way to go. A blood-curdling scream gave away the hunter's location though. Kotatsu immediately ran in that direction.

**Author's Note:**

> Allo! Aahh thank you so much for reading! This is my very first proper fanfiction ever written ><
> 
> This is an au my friend Aka (the one who drew the [cover](https://twitter.com/ArKADesZ/status/1338958781917638658?s=20)) and I adore so much! We are both huuuge esuka (Ace x Isuka) and Isuka fans and our aim is to get more contents of Isuka/Esuka out there.
> 
> I asked my friends for feedbacks before posting this but I am still very open for constructive criticisms as I really want to improve my writing skills. However, I will ignore your criticism if it doesn't offer anything that can help me improve.
> 
> The title of the fic and the chapters might still change >< I will try to update this fic monthly!
> 
> The following are our social media accs if you want to check out our other contents:
> 
> — AKA —  
> Instagram: [@akabflare](http://www.instagram.com/akabflare) | [@arkadesz](http://www.instagram.com/arkadesz)  
> Twitter: [@akabflare](http://www.twitter.com/akabflare) | [@arkadesz](http://www.twitter.com/arkadesz)
> 
> — XEON —  
> Instagram: [@clarixeon](http://www.instagram.com/clarixeon) | [@xeonscribbles](http://www.instagram.com/xeonscribbles)  
> Twitter: [@clarixeon](http://www.twitter.com/clarixeon)


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